THE WORLD’S WORST POLLUTION PROBLEMS: THE TOP TEN OF THE TOXIC TWENTY THE TOP TEN (unranked and alphabetical) 1 Artisanal Gold Mining 2 Contaminated Surface Water 3 Indoor Air Pollution 4 Industrial Mining Activities 5 Groundwater Contamination 6 Metals Smelting and Processing 7 Radioactive Waste and Uranium Mining 8 Untreated Sewage 9 Urban Air Quality 10 Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling This document was prepared by the staff of Blacksmith Institute in partnership with Green Cross Switzerland with input and review from a number of experts and volunteers, to whom we are most grateful. Primary Authors: Bret Ericson, MSc David Hanrahan, MSc Victoria Kong, MS Contributions by: Meredith Block, MPA Roland Brunner Richard Fuller Conor Gately, MA Anne Riederer, SCD Stephan Robinson, PhD Special Thanks To: Timothy Brutus; Denny Dobbin; Don Jones; Ira May; Dave Richards; Brian Wilson; the members of the Technical Advisory Board (see list for details); and our interns Evan Axelrad, Ryan Bailey, and Kerlly Bernabe. For questions, comments and feedback, please contact Blacksmith Institute in New York City at the following address: Blacksmith Institute 2014 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10035 +1 (646) 742 0200 [email protected] Media inquires should be directed to Magdalene Sim in New York at [email protected] Media inquiries in Europe should be directed to Nathalie Gysi at Green Cross Switzerland: Green Cross Switzerland Fabrikstrasse 17 8005 Zuerich, Switzerland +41 (0) 43 499 13 10 [email protected] This report is available online at www.worstpolluted.org 2 Table of Contents Introduction 4 Understanding Pollution and Sources 7 The Top Ten of the Toxic Twenty 9 The Four Least Addressed Pollution Problems 10 The Top Eight Pollution Problems Most Affecting Children 10 The Seven Worst Pollution Problems in Africa 11 The Four Problems most affecting Future Generations 11 The Top Ten 12 Artisanal Gold Mining 13 Contaminated Surface Water 15 Indoor Air Pollution 17 Industrial Mining Activities 19 Groundwater Contamination 21 Metals Smelting and Processing 23 Radioactive Waste and Uranium Mining 25 Untreated Sewage 27 Urban Air Quality 29 Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling 33 The Rest of The Toxic Twenty 35 Abandoned Mines 37 Agrotoxins and POPs 39 Arsenic 41 Cadmium 43 Coal Power Plants 45 Chromium 47 Garbage Dumps 49 Industrial Estates 51 Oil Refineries and Petrochemical Plants 53 Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons 55 PCBs 57 Ranking the problems and tackling them 59 Conclusion 63 Technical Advisory Board Members 66 3 base of polluted places, as well as from suggestions by relevant experts. INTRODUCTION Blacksmith Institute’s database contains about 600 sites nominated by individuals or groups, or identified to THE TOP TEN by Blacksmith and other organizations in the field. These range from whole cities that are choking on OF THE TOXIC air pollution, to com plete rivers that are black and stinking, to small facilities that pose a toxic threat to TWENTY a neighborhood, to villages whose water supply has turned orange and noxious. The emphasis in the da- tabase is – in line with Blacksmith Institute’s mission - on legacy sites or clusters of pol luters where there is no clear responsible party. THE TOP TEN. In 2006 and 2007, Blacksmith Institute and Green This year’s report provides five lists drawn from a Cross Switzerland produced the first lists of the larger “Toxic Twenty” set of pollution challenges; “World’s Worst Polluted Places.” Widely published problems that are repeatedly found both in health and distributed, these lists included an unranked and pollution literature, and in Blacksmith Institute “Top Ten,” as well as a more inclusive “Dirty Thirty” and Green Cross project work. index of polluted places around the world, detailing the sources and effects of pollution at each. The “Top Ten World’s Worst Pollution Problems” is a non-ranked set of global issues, which – in the They were compiled based on a variety of criteria. overall judgment of a panel of expert advisors – Foremost among these was the impact of pollution represent ongoing activities and conditions that on human health. pose the greatest threat to human health. This judgment requires a balance between problems with Although the lists catalyzed widespread interest widespread but moderate contamination levels, and in the significant threat that environmental pollu- problems that are smaller but much more toxic. tion poses to human health in the developing world, There can always be debate about such judgments, those sites named were only some of the more but there is no denying that each of the Top Ten egregious examples of widespread problems. Worst Pollution Problems represents a worldwide threat to human health and development. To provide context and scale of these problems, Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzer- Each Pollution Problem has its own particular char- land have updated their work in this new report - acteristics that separate it in some way from the “World’s Worst Pollution Problems.” Rather than others. Some of the problems, like heavy metals and focusing on just a few locations, this report gives an persistent organic pollutants (POPs), remain for gen- overview of the range of pollution threats humans erations and continue to have a residual impact long face throughout the world. after use. Others, like contaminated surface water, have a particularly damaging impact on the health of With this report we hope to bring the attention of children. For this reason we have also created these the international community to the enormous health subsidiary lists. risk posed by pollution every year in the developing world and to ways in which it might be tackled. • The Top Four Least Addressed Pollution Problems; • The Top Eight Pollution Problems Affecting PROBLEMS ARE MORE THAN JUST A FEW SITES. Children; This year’s Report sets out a range of pollution • The Top Seven Pollution Problems in Africa; and prob lems and for each gives a brief summary of the • The Top Four Pollution Problems Affecting problem’s source and scope. The list of problems is Future Generations. drawn primarily from the Blacksmith Institute data- 4 RANKING. and soil pollution1. This year’s ranking criteria is based on the system used in previous years to determine the Worlds Worst Polluted Places. It has been adjusted appropriately to CHILDREN ARE ESPECIALLY AFFECTED. account for the new direction of the report. More than other leading causes of death, those tied to environmental factors have a disproportionate effect There are three primary factors taken into consider- on children. Of the 2.2 million people killed by diarrhea ation when ranking the Top Ten and Toxic Twenty: Pollut- in 1998, most were less than five years of age, and ant, Pathway and Population. nearly two million were under 192. Up to 90% of diar- rheal infections are caused by environmental factors We first determine the severity or toxicity of the Pol- like contaminated water and inadequate sanitation. lutant. More innocuous contaminants receive a lower Similarly, acute respiratory infections, 60% of which ranking, while more dangerous substances, say mercury can be linked to environmental factors, kill an estimated or lead, garner a higher ranking. two million children under five every year3. Secondly, we evaluate the Pathway, or how the pollutant Children are simply more susceptible to environmental is transferred to the population. People absorb con- risks than adults. Children are not just “small adults,” taminants through direct inhalation, by drinking con- but rather are physiologically different and more vulner- taminated water, by inhaling airborne dust, by bathing in able than adults. By way of illustration, while children contaminated water, by eating contaminated foodstuffs, only make up 10% of the world’s population, over 40% or through direct skin contact. The more direct, the of the global burden of disease falls on them. Indeed, less diluted and therefore more dangerous the pathway, more than three million children under age five die an- the higher the ranking the problem receives. nually from environmental factors4 Finally, we evaluate the Population. Here, population refers to the overall number affected by the pollutant THE DEATH TOLL IS NOT THE ONLY IMPACT OF globally. Those problems affecting the most people are POLLUTION. ranked highest in this category. The threat posed by pollution is not fully captured by its death toll. Pollution makes the lives of millions markedly Given the uncertainties in such assessments, the prob- more difficult. This happens through constant illness, lems within the Top Ten list are NOT RANKED against neurological damage and shortened lifespan. each other and therefore are presented in alphabetical order. For instance, the presence of lead in children lowers I.Q. by an estimated 4-7 points for each increase of 10 μg/dL5. While the acuteness of the pollution varies POLLUTION IS A MAJOR FACTOR IN DISEASE. from site to site, our database identifies populations Industrial wastes, air emissions, and legacy pollution around the globe with blood lead levels ranging from affect over a billion people around the world, with mil- 50 -100 μg/dL, up to 10 times recommended levels. lions poisoned and killed each year. People affected by pollution problems are much more likely to get sick from other diseases. Other people have reduced neurological WHAT IS BEING DONE. development, damaged immune systems, and long-term Large steps have been taken by the global community health problems. Women and children are especially at to combat some of the worst threats to human health, risk. The World Heath Organization estimates that 25 such as Malaria and HIV/AIDS. These campaigns percent of all deaths in the developing world are directly are impressive and important, and are producing real attributable to environmental factors. 1 Pimentel, D. et al. “Ecology of Increasing Diseases: Population Growth and Environmental Degra- dation.” Human Ecology.